Atherton had that 'over-my-dead-body' mentality, that's why the Aussies called him 'cockroach'

NASSER HUSSAIN: Mike Atherton always put the team first, never tried to make himself look good, or hide. He is an exceptional cricket writer. He is stubborn, and does not sway with the breeze

^{Nasser Hussain and Mike Atherton with former England coach Duncan Fletcher}

On Mike Atherton's 50th birthday, his Sky Sports colleague and former England team-mate Nasser Hussain writes about his relationship with the ex-national captain over the past 30-plus years...

I first met him when we were schoolboys. There were two people who I kept an eye on through youth cricket – Athers in the north, and Mark Ramprakash in the south.

It was a friendly rivalry between the three of us – we pushed each other, and it kept me going. I have always held everything Athers has done in high esteem – batting, captaincy, commentating and writing – he has set the standard.

I have always thought he speaks sense. He had two phases as a Test batsman – technically gifted northern classic opener, and then we used to call him ‘Scissorhands’ because he developed a glitch that saw the bat come down from gully to midwicket, and ‘line’ bowlers like Glenn McGrath exploited that.

All the time, though, he had that ‘over-my-dead-body’ mentality, with amazing powers of concentration. That is why the Aussies called him ‘cockroach’.

^{Hussain and Atherton broadcast together on Sky Sports}

There was absolutely no point sledging him. We always felt more secure as a team when he was batting. Seeing him quit the captaincy at Antigua was emotional. It affected us all, Thorpey, Stewie and so on. Such a fine man, broken down by the pressures of captaincy.

He always put the team first, never tried to make himself look good, or hide. He is an exceptional cricket writer. He is stubborn, and does not sway with the breeze.

Most of the time he gets it right. He is a ‘less is more’ broadcaster. Sometimes we have to look up some of his words in the dictionary.

Despite his Cambridge education, he keeps himself humble.

After a day’s play we often go with Bumble and Wardie to find some grotty pub, so Bumble can drink his weird beer.

I have always enjoyed Athers' company.

The Cricketer | An evening with Mike Atherton

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^{The pair have known each other for several decades}